


Aquaphobia

by Schaden_freude



Category: Epic Mickey (Video Games), Mickey Donald and Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004)
Genre: Drowning, F/M, Kind of like beauty and the beast but with some twists, Mickey has PTSD, Not sure how else to tag this lol, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, love me some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29864208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schaden_freude/pseuds/Schaden_freude
Summary: After the events of MDG: The 3 Musketeers, it seems that a happy ending has been achieved! Well, not entirely: Mickey still suffers from a lingering terror of water after nearly drowning in Pete's dungeon. But he's got bigger problems to deal with.During a trip to an important meeting, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and Daisy are attacked by a terrifying new enemy known as the Phantom Blot! Seeking help, the weary travelers stumble into the mysterious Dark Beauty Castle, which is home to none other than the unlucky King Oswald. Can Mickey and friends solve the mystery of Dark Beauty Castle and escape from the Phantom Blot's evil powers? Will they ever find out exactly what secrets Oswald is hiding from them?FIND OUT NOW BY...clicking on this fic I guess
Relationships: Mickey Mouse/Minnie Mouse, Ortensia/Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there, thanks for reading!! This fic could not have happened without the wonderful support of my friends on Discord as well as the fantastic inspiration provided by Apathetic-Coffee on Tumblr. Enjoy!

Peg-leg Pete wasn’t in the dream, but Mickey could feel his presence anyway, could hear his booming laughter echoing across the bleak dungeon. Soon the laughter was drowned out by other sounds: the scuttling of small creatures, the drip drip drip of damp walls, and of course the ever-present roar of the ocean outside, it’s massive waves ramming hard into the fortress, threatening to come crashing in. 

For the millionth time Mickey gripped the heavy chain around his waist, fiddling with it, examining its unrelenting metal for any signs of weakness. For the millionth time, he had no luck. Outside the dungeon, the tide grew larger, stronger. Mickey tried not to look up at the ruler painted on the wall opposite him, each inch sketched out precisely. At about 11 feet someone had written a warning: You must be this tall to survive this dungeon. No one was coming to rescue Mickey. No one even knew where he was. His best friends had failed him. The princess, his only love, was in grave danger. It all seemed to be too much for an ordinary mouse. 

Never in all his life had Mickey felt so incredibly, devastatingly _small._

The steady drip drip drip, which until now had faded into the background, was abruptly transformed into a gushing waterfall. The ocean spilled wildly into the dungeon, through the various windows and vents, flooding the tiny cell quickly. Mickey stood up immediately, or at least as much as he could with the chain linking him to the wall. In no time at all the water had reached his knees, then his waist. His musketeer uniform grew heavy, weighing him down. Mickey struggled violently to swim, trying to keep as close to the surface as possible, even as the water threatened to engulf his head. Underwater, everything was dark and murky, tainted green. He squeezed his eyes shut and fought with all his might against the pressure, holding his breath longer than he ever thought possible. 

But it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. Every nightmare ended the same way. Mickey couldn’t fight it forever. The water flooded his small body, filling his lungs with what felt like poison. At this point the dungeon vanished, and all Mickey knew was the undeniable fact that he could not breath he could not breath he could not breath **he could not breathe HE COULD NOT BREATHE--**

“Mickey! MICKEY!” 

A familiar face swam before his eyes. Mickey gasped, taking in large gulps of air as Princess Minnie gently shook him awake. He came back to reality slowly, becoming aware of where he was: lying in a comfortable bed with his beloved beside him, her eyes wide with fear and concern. She was so beautiful in the mornings. 

“You were shaking,” Minnie said, anxiety edging her voice. “A-And I was afraid you’d stopped breathing, and…” she trailed off, watching Mickey as he sat up against his pillow. 

“I’m okay, Minnie, see?” he smiled at her, even though his throat still felt tight and his hands trembled slightly as he took her hand in his. “Look, I...I know it’s kind of silly to keep dreaming about this stuff...but they’re just dreams, you know? They’ll go away soon.” 

“I hope so,” Minnie did not look very reassured. “You know we’re starting the trip to Arendelle today for that diplomatic meeting with other monarchs. Are you going to be okay?” 

“Aw, shucks, it’ll be fine,” Mickey laughed a little. “Anyhow, a change of scenery might be just the thing to get those dreams out of my head. And I know you can use a vacation,” he added with a sly smile, genuine this time. 

“Don’t I know it!” Minnie sighed, leaning against Mickey. “It’s just meetings, meetings, meetings all day. I’m beginning to get sick of this stuffy old castle. Some days I’m so busy I can hardly even go for a walk in the garden!” 

“Just think of all the greenery waiting for us out there. The meadows and the wheat fields, and the wide open air!” Mickey said dreamily, holding his princess close. Just talking about it made him feel better already. “And Arendelle is supposed to be gorgeous this time of year.” 

“And I’ll have my favorite musketeer beside me,” Minnie booped his nose playfully. “And Daisy, and Donald and Goofy too, of course.” 

Mickey chuckled, a laugh that was stopped short when she pulled him in for a kiss. The two mice kissed like happy schoolchildren, all blushes and giggles. Even though Mickey was a brave musketeer, he never felt safer and happier than when he was in Minnie’s arms, just like this, the two of them. 

“We should hurry and get dressed,” said Minnie when they finally broke apart. “We don’t want to get left behind.”

And with that she slipped off the bed, and with a little wave and a “toodle-oo!” she disappeared into her dressing chambers, leaving Mickey alone. As soon as she was gone he exhaled deeply, composing himself, getting his thoughts together. That stupid nightmare had unsettled him more than he wanted to admit. No, it wasn’t the nightmare itself exactly. It was that fear of the water, the fear that filled his lungs and made his heart stop. The fear that now followed whenever he was near any body of water. How Mickey hated waking up unable to breathe, helpless as a child. Most of all he hated how upset it made Minnie. As Princess of France, she had plenty of responsibilities without worrying about Mickey too. Today they were supposed to start the big trip to Arendelle, and she was plenty stressed about it. 

Speaking of which, he had better get dressed and ready to go. The nightmare had left Mickey exhausted and he wanted nothing more than to stay in bed. But he stood up and began pulling on his musketeer uniform anyway. Just wearing it made him feel more confident, like a badge of honor. And when he put on his hat, with its familiar felt and worn out brim, he felt like he could conquer anything. After all, hadn’t he and Donald and Goofy defeated Captain Pete, and threw the big jerk in jail? Hadn’t they saved Princess Minnie, and all of France? Ha! A little nightmare was nothing to a brave musketeer! 

Having thus reassured himself, Mickey bounded downstairs to the castle’s carriage house, where preparations for the trip were being made. Naturally, he found the place in chaos. Servants were running around in all directions, making last minute preparations and shouting at each other in rapid French. A crew of musketeers were busy heaving the princess’s suitcases into the carriage, grunting heavily under all the luggage. Arendelle was far up north, and very cold, so most of the suitcases were full of blankets, coats, and jackets. And overseeing it all was Daisy, all businesslike with a clipboard and loud heels that commanded attention. 

Mickey watched the ruckus, unobserved, until he spotted his friends in the crowd. Goofy was helping with the suitcases and chattering away happily with the other musketeers. Donald was supposed to be helping too, but he occasionally snuck away from his work to bother Daisy. Mickey moved into the room, dodging a mattress and two closets’ worth of dresses to reach Donald and Goofy. 

“Hiya, guys!” He greeted them cheerfully. 

“G’mornin!” Donald squinted at Mickey’s face. “Gee, Mick, you look awful.” 

“What? Oh! I, uh, didn’t sleep well last night,” Mickey said quickly. It was the truth, after all. “Just...nervous, I guess.” 

“Them nightmares again, huh?” Goofy frowned sympathetically, but Mickey wasn’t listening. He had already run over to help another musketeer with a suitcase that had fallen over, spilling its contents to the ground. 

Daisy, watchful as ever, immediately made a fuss over the fallen suitcase, and everyone hurried to gather the offending items. Just as Mickey was placing the last pair of shoes in the carriage, he heard Princess Minnie’s voice, engaged in conversation. She came through the doorway followed by her new Captain of the Guard, a strict and commanding old soldier who took the princess’s security very seriously. 

“As you know, your majesty, we certainly have the men and resources to provide you with a larger retinue on your trip,” the captain was saying as they entered. 

“I’ve already made up my mind, captain,” Minnie replied firmly. “I will not have an entire army accompanying me, imposing on the surrounding villages and disturbing the environment.” 

“Yes, of course, but in terms of your safety…” the captain continued undeterred. 

“My bodyguards will be more than sufficient,” Minnie finished promptly. “With any luck, the trip to Arendelle should take no more than a few days. I trust that you and your men will take excellent care of the castle until I return.” 

And she smiled, unleashing that persuasive charm that softened even the toughest of soldiers. The captain practically melted under her soulful eyes. 

“Yes, well,” he agreed mildly. “It is true the roads you will be travelling are well mapped, and there will be a number of villagers you may call on should you require…” 

“That’s the spirit, captain,” said Minnie cheerfully, and with that she turned away to inspect the preparations. 

The upcoming meeting in Arendelle was an annual event in which the monarchs of various kingdoms came together to discuss a broad range of topics. Important trade agreements were made, peace treaties were signed and a number of other diplomatic issues were solved at these conferences. Most importantly, each monarch brought their own entourage to every annual meeting, during which the servants would throw a massive party and celebrate together at the expense of their respective employers. 

Mickey was looking forward to the party of course, but mostly he was just happy to get out of the castle for awhile. As much as he loved the swashbuckling life of a musketeer, the excitement and glory of it all, he missed being able to spend more time with his pals. Goofy and Donald were always busy with their own respective drills and errands. Heck, Mickey himself was so busy he barely had time to walk Pluto. The few moments he could get alone with Princess Minnie were rare and precious. 

That was why he was glad Minnie insisted on only taking her personal bodyguards on this trip-- Mickey, Donald and Goofy-- as well as her lady-in-waiting, Daisy. With such a small party they could easily make the trip in a few days, assuming there was no trouble. Mickey was very much looking forward to being on the open road again, with his pals beside him and Pluto trailing along behind the carriage.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't had much practice writing fight scenes so I hope this turned out okay XD
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!!

Princess Minnie's carriage rumbled pleasantly down the well-paved road. It was late afternoon and beautiful outside, with crisp autumn air that betrayed a chill of the coming winter. The land spread out before them, painted in leaves of red and gold and brown. Soon the sun would set, washing everything in a pale pink glow. It was their second day on the road. 

"Oh, Mickey, doesn't it look so romantic?" Minnie sighed happily, gently snaking her arms around his. 

Mickey tightened his hold on the reins. "Uh, yeah, sure is," he chuckled, a little embarrassed. It was hard to keep his eyes on the horses and the road when he'd much rather be looking at her. 

Minnie, insisting she needed fresh air, had climbed up to sit next to Mickey as he guided the horses. Donald and Daisy were inside the carriage with the map, bickering loudly over where they were going and occasionally shouting directions at Mickey. Goofy was guarding the rear of the carriage, singing cheerfully to himself and simply enjoying the ride. Mickey's faithful dog, Pluto, was trotting steadily beside the horses, apparently unsure if he should be intimidated by the large, elegant animals. Seeing that the sun was close to setting, Mickey handed over the reins to Minnie for a bit while he lit a couple lanterns, placing them carefully by his seat so as to see better when it was dark. 

"Just wait till ya see this sunset, Min," said Mickey. "It's gonna be a real beauty, I can tell." 

Minnie giggled. "You say that about every sunset, you know." 

"Yeah, well, I mean it this time! It's gonna-- WAAAH!!!” 

The carriage jerked violently, nearly throwing the mice out of their seat and jostling everyone. Even Pluto jumped back, surprised. The horses stopped abruptly, tossing their heads and refusing to move any further. 

“What the heck was that?” Donald asked, poking his head out the carriage door. “Did we run over something?” 

“I certainly hope not,” Minnie frowned worriedly. 

“The horses won’t budge another inch,” Mickey said as he hopped down from the seat. The whole party leaned in to inspect the trouble.   
And trouble it was. The carriage’s left back wheel was mired in some dark, sludgy substance. Compared to the rest of the spotless road, it looked like it came from nowhere. Mickey attempted to pull the wheel out, but it was stuck fast. 

"Ugh, what is that stuff?" Daisy asked in disgust. "It smells like mud!" 

"Doesn't look like any mud I've ever seen," said Goofy, with the suspicion of a man who knew his mud. He squinted at the sludge, came close to it, sniffed it. 

Like a child grabbing for candy, the sludge stretched forward and grabbed Goofy's snout! 

"YEOW!" Goofy yelped. "Get it off get it off get it off get it off!!"

Despite his flailing, the sludge stuck with the hardness of tar, stretching like rubber to maintain its hold. 

"Hang on, Goof!" Mickey leaped forward, sword in hand, and expertly slashed at the sludge where it had stretched itself thinnest. It severed immediately, dropping off Goofy's snout and landing like a splattered ink blot. A second later it was up again, this time as a round little blob with tiny nub arms and nasty-looking teeth. It's beady eyes narrowed sinisterly. At the same moment, the rest of the sludge had molded itself into similar evil creatures, their teeth perfectly poised for biting. This was not just any old sludge. This was living ink!

Mickey and Goofy bravely hacked at the monsters with their swords, but the little buggers were annoyingly persistent. For every blotling that was cut down, two more popped up in its place, like a many-headed hydra. When one got close enough, it bit hard wherever it could get a good grip. While Mickey and Goofy fought off the newly-spawned blotlings, Donald and Daisy defended the inside of the carriage, smacking away any blotling that tried to get in. Even Pluto joined in the fight, barking and snapping at them with his sharp teeth. Despite their efforts, the blotlings continued to multiply, their inky bodies too flexible to be put down for long. Mickey realized that if he and his friends didn’t do something soon, they would be overwhelmed by blotlings! 

A loud, painful howl interrupted Mickey’s thoughts, and he whipped around towards Pluto. A few feet away from the carriage, some blotlings had formed a new ink puddle, and were attempting to drag the dog beneath it. Mickey shouted “PLUTO!” and immediately broke away from the fight to rescue his faithful pet. Meanwhile, several blotlings had made their way to the carriage roof, menacing Princess Minnie. Panicking, she grabbed for whatever was handy--which turned out to be a lantern that Mickey had lit earlier. Instinctively, Minnie swung the lantern at the blotlings, knocking at least two off the carriage. Not only was it a perfect hit, but the hit blotlings caught fire as well. The little buggers began fleeing in a panic, spreading the flames and causing more blotlings to catch fire and burn. Minnie stared at the ensuing chaos in surprise. Who knew ink could be so flammable? 

Unfortunately, the horses--already agitated about the fighting around them--saw the spreading fire and panicked wildly. With a mighty effort they reared their powerful bodies and, anxious to get away from the fire, pulled the carriage straight out of the ink! Suddenly the horses were on the move again, but completely out of control, pulling Minnie, the ducks, and Goofy with them. Mickey just barely managed to grab Pluto and duck out of the way of the runaway carriage.The horses had run straight off the road before Minnie, thinking fast, grabbed the reins in an attempt to control them. 

Meanwhile, Mickey was left alone to deal with the remaining blotlings. Around half of them had burned into harmless goo, but the other half didn’t seem interested in attacking Mickey anymore. Instead, they seemed to be gathering close together, as though huddling for safety. Slowly the blotlings began to coalesce before Mickey’s eyes, growing larger and larger with every bit of ink added, until they were no longer individual blotlings, but a huge black mass instead. This new, massive ink creature towered over Mickey. It’s face split into a toothy grin and it’s poison-green eyes zeroed in on the mouse. Staring up at this new foe, Mickey found himself paralyzed, unable to move, as though he had suddenly sprouted roots into the ground. His mind raced with panic and terror. For a moment he thought this was the end, that this monster was much too large to fight, that he would drown in the ink and--

“HEADS UP, MICK!!!” 

Donald shouted before grabbing hold of Mickey’s shirt and yanking him backwards into the carriage. The two of them fell into a heap on the floor of the still-moving carriage, panting breathlessly. Minnie had managed to turn the horses back around so they could grab Mickey, but now the frightened animals had shaken off the reins and went full speed ahead on their own. They were quickly leaving the blotlings behind, but they were leaving the road behind too. All Mickey and friends could do was hang on tight as the carriage went barrelling through the woods in a chaotic, bumbling ride. 

Just when Mickey thought they’d never stop, the horses encountered a giant boulder--and jumped right over it without hesitation. Though the animals sailed clear over the rock, their harness smashed into it, shattering into pieces and freeing the horses. They galloped off into the woods, disappearing quickly, leaving the damaged carriage and it’s hapless passengers alone in the woods. 

Then there was silence. The sound of the horses’ hoofs faded away. The blotlings had been left behind. Only the sound of wind rustling through the autumn leaves remained. The sun was setting, bathing everything in a pale red glow. After the fight and the chaos that followed, the crew were slowly regaining their bearings. 

Mickey broke the silence first. “Is everyone okay?”

There was a quiet murmur of grunts and affirmations as everyone examined themselves for injuries. No broken bones, it seemed. 

“Excuse my French,” said Daisy faintly. “But what the hell was that all about?

“Bandits, maybe?” Goofy suggested. 

“But they didn’t take anything,” Donald pointed to the untouched luggage. 

“They were after us, then,” said Minnie thoughtfully. She seemed more disturbed by the attack than the others. “But why?” 

Mickey thought about the giant blotling he had seen, that awful monster with the poison-green eyes. Something about it shook him to his very bones. But if he told his friends about that, he’d have to admit his fear too. Instead he glanced up at the setting sun, and decided to be practical. 

“Right now we have to focus on finding shelter while we still have some daylight,” Mickey said authoritatively. “Daisy, are there any villages nearby?”

Daisy examined their map. “Yeah, but it looks pretty far...maybe an hour or so walk away.” 

“Okay,” Mickey thought for a moment. “So some of us will walk to the village and get help, and some of us will have to stay here and guard the carriage.” 

“With those horrible creatures roaming around? Absolutely not!” Minnie protested. “It’s too dangerous to split up!” 

“Well, where else are we supposed to go?!” Mickey snapped. 

“Hey fellas, why don’t we try that place?” Goofy interrupted gently. 

He was pointing upward, and everyone followed his finger. Just beyond the foliage, the tall spire of a castle loomed against the darkening sky, it’s stone reflecting an orange streak of sunset. Judging by the spire, it was not a particularly huge castle, and yet everyone stared at it in surprise and wonder. 

Donald looked at the map, and then at the castle, and then at the map again. “That...was definitely not there before,” he said shakily. 

“How strange…” Minnie seemed unable to take her eyes off the spire, as though afraid it would vanish if she looked away. “I’ve never heard of there being a castle in this area…”

“It must be a ruin,” Daisy pointed out. “Look at how old and crumbling it is. I doubt anyone still lives there.”

“Either way, it looks like the closest bit of shelter,” Mickey decided. “So we’d better get a move on if we wanna make it there before dark.” 

“Wait, WHAT?!” Donald squawked in alarm. “You want to go to that creepy old place?! What if there’s g-g-ghosts?!”

“Don’t be silly, Don,” Goofy chuckled good-naturedly. “Everyone knows there’s no such thing as ghosts.” 

Donald’s protests thus overridden, the crew began the burdensome task of pushing the carriage through the trees, towards their destination. And that’s how Mickey and friends arrived at Dark Beauty Castle.


End file.
